5 Good Habits Proven to Boost Visibility on Social Media [+Bonus Tips]

Bad social media habits are expensive. It costs you visibility, engagement, reputation and even money. Bad habits are easy to fall into because good habits are hard to maintain. Sad, but true.

Bad habits form under two conditions: someone is new to social media or they became discouraged by it. Some people buckle down and learn to do better, but others have a harder time finding their footing.

What is social media marketing?

It's the process of driving user engagement and sharing through tailored content creation. In this practice, social media is a tool to promote a product or brand.

On paper, it can seem pretty simple. Anyone can make a post and share it, right? For personal use, social media can be a cinch. Actual social media marketing, though, is much more than that.

Most platforms have data called "analytics" that gathers information about users. This data helps businesses learn more about their audience and what interests them. With that data, businesses target a group of people (or "demographic") likely to buy from or follow them.

Without the right tools or knowledge, it could be time-consuming and exhausting. You'll struggle to see results, and that's if you know how to find and target your ideal audience.

So, how do I tackle "social media marketing?"

A good plan, for one thing. Not just a marketing plan, either.

If you want to sell your brand to people, you need a clear, firm handle on it. You need to understand who you are, what you represent and what you can offer them. Otherwise, what are you selling to them?

Don't leave questions unanswered. Do your research. Ask questions and don't be afraid to experiment!

How are "good habits" going to help me?

What would happen if you brushed your teeth once every other week? Nothing attractive or healthy, right? Your teeth need routine care to stay pearly white.

Social media is no different. It needs good routine care to grow and thrive. Establishing good habits early avoids problems later on. Any parent can vouch for that.

Here are a few good habits to adopt:

1. Interact with and support other accounts.

Focus on genuine, personal interactions that build real connections. Do that by identifying influencers appealing to your target audience or industry. Research their work and personal brand. Support them by sharing their posts, but make sure it provides value to your audience.

Finally, message them with a few sentences about who you are and why you're contacting them. Offer positive comments or ask them questions about their work. Don't promote yourself because that's not what you're there to do. You want to build a genuine, positive connection with them.

2. Make a schedule and stick to it.

A schedule makes you predictable, reachable and easy to follow. People like that because it makes you easier to interact with. Create a schedule for each of your social media accounts. Every social media platform is different, though, so make sure to do your research.

3. Create posts on-point with your brand.

An important part of connecting with an audience is your brand personality. It gives people an idea of who you are, what you represent and what you can offer them. Create posts that represent your brand in both appearance and content.

4. Offer value to your audience.

People follow brands because it gives them value to do so. It can be anything from information to positive feelings. A bit of quid pro quo is a good way to build trust in your brand.

5. Set clear, attainable goals.

Focus on goals that help you build and reinforce positive habits. It keeps you motivated and builds confidence, which is what you want. Avoid setting goals by another's success because that person isn't you. Avoid setting large goals and, instead, focus on smaller goals.

Can't I pay for visibility?

Yes and no.

You need to understand what you need and what you're paying for. It helps to know what you're paying to promote, too. Otherwise, you'll be throwing away money that could've gone to something else.

The habits mentioned above will give you a solid foundation for sustainable growth. You'll build a good image, form solid connections and maintain a positive outlook.

Cutting corners isn't going to help you. Whether you do it or someone else does it for you, it still needs to get done. More importantly, it needs to get done properly.

Cutting corners is like to covering up potholes with paper.

What tools can I use to help me?

There's many tools you can choose from, but here's a list of my favorites:

IFTTT is an online tool that automates tasks done between applications. The acronym stands for If This, Then That.

Hootsuite is a social media management tool. It make posting to social media easier by offering a variety of platforms in one application. You can either schedule posts or post live directly from the site.

Buzzsumo is an online tool that tracks popular content on the internet. Search by topic or competitor and receive a list of popular content by your parameters.

Followerwonk is an in-depth analytics tool for Twitter. It analyzes your data to help you learn more about your audience, ideal posting times and more.

Bitly is a link shortening service that gives you shorter links for sharing. That may not sound like much, but links can get lengthy and unattractive. Shortening your links gives you more character space and a professional appearance.

Zest delivers high quality marketing content to your browser. It eliminates the need to sort through a pile of junk by mining for the best content for you. Right now, it's a browser extension only available on Chrome, but it's well worth the switch.

Bonus Tips:

Give sneak-peeks, behind-the-scenes and highlights.

Everyone likes seeing the human side to a brand. Behind-the-scenes are good weekend posts. Highlights are good for yearly or monthly reviews. Sneak-peeks are good for previews into new products or events. These posts make you more relatable. It gives people an appreciation to what goes into your work.

Find your tribe.

Everyone needs a crowd of like-minded people cheering them on. There's nothing like sharing your journey with people that share your passion. Find them, connect with them and value their journey like you do your own.

Foster a community around your brand by providing support and value to your audience.

Building a community surrounding a brand is an old concept. It's a quaint concept that centers on uniting your audience under a name or community banner. Kimra Luna, a business coach, built a community around her program "Freedom Hackers." In fact, much of her audience refers to themselves as "hackers." It gives her audience a sense of belonging, which many people seek on some level.

Focus on a few social media platforms (not them all).

There's going to be social media platforms that work better for you than others. Focus on those platforms and ignore the others. A lot of work goes into social media marketing, so why waste effort on a platform that isn't turning you any profit?

Don't measure success by follower numbers.

Visibility is about engagement. Encourage people to comment on your posts, rather than sharing and moving on. Sharing a post doesn't mean that a person read your content. Yes, it's a form of acknowledgement, but you want a connections. A thousand followers is nothing if nobody interacts with you!

Final Thoughts

Everyone discovers their own formula that works for them. It's a combination of strategies, tools and experiments. Keep in mind, though, that social media is about being social. What are your final thoughts or questions on this? Comment below!